Techno-Economic Assessment on Underground Coal Gasification Incorporating CCUS Deployment in China

Under the constraints of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, the low-carbon transition of the power sector is imperative for China. Underground Coal Gasification Combined Cycle (UCGCC) coupled with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) offers a potential pathway for clean coal utilization, yet a systematic evaluation of its environmental benefits compared to mature technologies remains lacking. This study establishes a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model to benchmark the energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the UCGCC-CCS system against the Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC)-CCS system. The system boundaries encompass the entire process from fuel acquisition to power output and carbon storage. The results indicate that UCGCC possesses significant advantages in both energy efficiency and carbon reduction. Specifically, the life cycle energy consumption of UCGCC is 8002.35 MJ/MWh, representing a 33.11% reduction compared to IGCC. Furthermore, the life cycle carbon emissions of UCGCC are 64.03 kg CO2-eq/MWh, which is 37.53% lower than that of IGCC. The structural analysis reveals that these advantages stem primarily from the elimination of upstream coal mining and transportation processes, which are intrinsic to the surface gasification route. These findings provide a scientific basis for positioning UCGCC as a strategic technology for China’s clean energy transition, offering a viable solution to balance energy security with deep decarbonization.